Fight or Flight
by Strawberryladybug
Summary: After enduring the innocent but traumatizing prank played by Casey, April's self-confidence begins to wilt. Then, when her plea for additional training is sidestepped by the turtles, April becomes discouraged and decides to keep her growing paranoia to herself. But giving in to fear has its own consequences... (Based on and continues from 2003-09-verse, episode "The Lesson")
1. Chapter 1

_Random Disclaimer: in which I diss no one and claim nothing. Rights belong to respective owners, yada yada. (Are we supposed to do this?)_

**"The city has a life all it's own, especially at night. Sometimes it's quiet - too quiet- but you don't notice...and maybe you should. Because in the darkness - when you're all alone- you never know what could be lurking around the next corner, or even at your own back door! And you always think; nothing bad is ever going to happen to you. So you have to ask yourself: Are you ready? Well, are you?"**

** -Donatello, in "The Lesson"**

April was not amused by Casey's latest stunt. Having banned him from her apartment for the night, she was now pulling the teakettle from the stove for herself and the turtles. She had barely stopped shaking, the adrenaline continued to fuel her frustration. The exasperated growl that was rising inside finally escaped as her unsteady grip caused a boiling drop of water to splash her hand.

"Errrrgh, That Casey makes me so mad!"

" Whaddya talkin' about, April - you totally clobbered him!" Raphael asked, his amusement far from veiled. He grinned up toward his friend, but was startled when she turned to face them, her expression suddenly void of anger. If anything, the blushing woman looked positively timid. She replied softly, a hint of defeat in her tone as she explained.

"Well... it's just that I thought I was getting somewhere in my training with Master Splinter. But Casey caught me totally by surprise - I should have heard him coming. You guys would have. "

"It takes a lot of practice!" Don began, before looking to Leonardo.

"Master Splinter spent a lot of time training us to be aware of our surroundings at all times; after a while though, if you've studied hard enough, you get a sixth sense for it."

"Maybe you guys could teach me?"

April hadn't expected the stunned looks, or the immediate declines from all four turtles. Nor had she expected that the subject of being sensei in their own rights was a touchy subject. But as it usually happened, April once again became captivated by a story from the turtle's childhood, and by the end of it, the turtles had long forgotten the original conversation.

As Mikey, Don, Raph and Leo continued to laugh and joke about their memories, April's mind wandered back to her predicament. _I guess there's no point in asking for more training then. Sounds like Master Splinter probably wouldn't pick up the pace, either. I've always appreciated that he takes his time in teaching, but I don't know if my progress so far is going to be enough to-_

"Hey April, you got any more marshmallows? Mine melted.." a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, uh, yea Mikey."

At the end of the turtle's visit, Donatello stopped before following his brothers out of the back door. He looked at his human friend, whose left hand was full of used mugs. She looked more tired than usual, despite the early evening hour.

"April?" He began hesitantly. "... I think you did great in defending yourself back there. As soon as you recognized danger, you reacted right away. A lot of people...who become victims, anyway- they don't have that kind of control. Some freeze up, or run away instead of standing their ground when they need to. Master Splinter would say that you have a warrior's spirit. So...don't beat yourself up about it?"

April almost snorted at the idea of her being anything warrior-like, but she smiled at her friend, and nudged his shoulder playfully. "Nah, I'll try not to. But I think I'm going to practice more often. I'd like to be more prepared- just in case it's NOT Casey next time." A shadow of worry was just briefly visible on her face, before Don saw her smile return.

"No harm in that. And, you know you can call us anytime, if you need our help. Not to freak you out or anything, but sometimes we are closer than you think. Like tonight," the turtle added with a chuckle, "Although you took care of it before we arrived."

"Yo Donnie! Quit the yappin', or Splinter'll have our heads!"

"...Thanks, Don. I'll remember that."

"See you later then?"

"I think Mikey said movie night at the Lair on Friday. I'll bring the pizza."

Donatello grinned, and without another word, he disappeared into the night with his brothers. If April hadn't actually seen which direction he slipped away in, she could not have known there was anything present in the dark shadows of the alleyway. She shuddered involuntarily at the thought. "I really don't have ninja senses yet... at least I'm friends with the best around."

Author's Note

_ I was a little surprised to see so few fanfics starring only canon characters and situations, especially starring April O' Neil (__without__ an OC, turtleXApril, lemon etcetera). For those authors who specialize...THANK YOU! I have to say, I really enjoy the stories where you can just revel in the characters as they were in their respective series. Granted, there are several OC stories that I love (and follow), but I think people forget the potential that April has for being an interesting protagonist. For me, I write strictly in the 2003-verse, and her intermittent presence in the show does allow for some speculative writing. :D _

_ For example, and leading to my own purposes: I figured that having friends like ninja turtles and a vigilante, all of whom are hated by the most dangerous gangs in NYC, would probably put her in more danger than was eluded to in the show._ _T__his is saying something, because it already was pretty dark to begin with. (BTW, this observation has nothing to do with frequency of danger, or this would surely become an 80's version fic..._ ***laughs***)_ However, I liked that April was eventually given some fighting abilities as the seasons progressed, giving her more status and all that. But April's journey as a martial arts student is rarely elaborated. In this story, I'm planning to focus on a point in the series that had suggested a story arc which included April getting *trained*, learning defense, etc. but was never really shown onscreen, disappointing me and probably other girls who were watching. Yea, she kicks some butt in a few episodes, but I like to read the 'journey' stuff, even if it includes a little angst. I like to watch character development, not "Hey, April went from cowering in a corner to throwing a huge guy across the room just like THAT!" _

_Anybody else feel this way? _

_IN CONCLUSION...this story will feature April's journey to becoming a true warrior in spirit, and the first "Lesson" is...conquering fear. No canned spinach in these here parts..._

_ So yea, I have a few more chapters for now, and then if I get more inspiration, I'll keep posting. :) _

P.S - For anyone who cares- should I write a prologue, detailing that beginning scene from "The Lesson"? (it's on youtube...) I wondered if it would help pull readers into the story... whatever. :)

I'm going to say this ONCE ONLY - Reviews are welcome. I like to reply. Critique, complain, whatever makes you happy. I'm just here to write silly stories. :) Remember, every time you flame... **_A FAIRY_**_ DIES._


	2. Chapter 2

April jerked awake as the cellphone on the bedside table vibrated once- someone just sent her a text. She rolled over and reached for it, fuming groggily. _Three in the morning? Donatello knows better than..._

** *Heybabe sory about las nite. I shouldent had done it.***

"Casey, you bonehead." April muttered tiredly. "Bonehead, bonehead,_ idiot_ bonehead…" She sighed and thought about how to respond to the message. If she wanted to, she could send him a mile-long text, indicating *just* how upset he had made her, make him struggle through a mass of unfamiliar vocabulary just to make a point. But even as she typed the stern reply, she found herself losing conviction. He was apologizing, why was she so resistant to accepting it?

_ "C'mon April, you weren't really that scared, were ya?"_

Casey's dumbfounded words rang in her head, making her flush with embarrassment. Surrounded by her highly trained and competent friends, April had never felt so humiliated or vulnerable._ But Casey was right. I was scared. And completely helpless! I knew I wasn't ready...if that had been anybody else, I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did. Who, in their menacing mind, would give their victim even a second to retaliate? Heck, Casey even warned me of his presence when he took out the back door light! No real threat would give me a chance…"Chivalrous" and" Purple Dragon" just don't go together_._ And what did Don say about awareness? 'It takes years of practice'? So does that mean that I have no chance of being successfully aware of my surroundings until I'm a decade into training? What good will that do me now? Can I defend myself or not?" _

April allowed herself to consider the grisly details of what exactly could have happened if her attacker had been a Purple Dragon. She instantly regretted it. _Great. Now I'm going to give myself nightmares…_ April slumped her head back onto the pillow, then flinched when she realized that her phone was still on, with Casey's text awaiting a reply.

April had been too angry to answer him earlier, though she suspected that slamming the door shut in his face had been enough to clue him on her feelings. Now that she had another opportunity tell him off, she knew that it was completely unjustifiable. If anyone deserved a chiding, it was herself. She was the weak one, after all… it was no good taking out her insecurities on the man she was starting to care about...a lot. Sure, the guy's behavior was reckless and downright stupid sometimes, but his intentions were always honorable. He didn't really do anything wrong; he just made April realize just how unprepared and helpless she really was. The redheaded woman sighed, and typed out a short sentence before lying back down on the bed, attempting to return to slumber.

**"I forgive you babe; but think twice next time? Good night. ;)"**

In the lair, a slightly inebriated Casey Jones sat beside a smirking Raphael and an unsympathetic Donatello. He slumped with his head bent down, dark hair hanging in his bleary eyes. He stared at the phone clutched in his large hands. Nothing happened. Then the phone beeped, Casey yelped and Raph leaned in to see the text, while Don remained seated, his arms crossed. Casey groaned heavily with relief after reading the message. "Aww, lookit guys, she forgives me! I guessss this apologizin' stuff reeeaally is th' best charm. Though I ssstill don't get why she got so mmaad."

Donatello snorted, torn between amusement and exasperation. "I still don't get why a socially repressed_ mutant turtle_ is better at coming up with relationship advice than a member of your own species. Let alone the fact that it was Raphael…"

Still smirking, Raph swiped softly at his brother's head. Then he slapped a three-fingered hand on Casey's shoulder, and began helping him away from the table. "Well loverboy, you're a lil' wasted to get back home tonite. I guess you got the couch - don't go pukin' on it."

Donatello had been sniggering when he dodged the punch, but instantly stopped at the thought of having to clean Casey-defiled couch cushions. He called out to the pair as he got up from his chair and headed to his own bedroom. "Hey, Raph - you might want to make sure Casey remembers everything in the morning. According to Master Splinter's soaps, drunk-texts don't always make it into explicit memory. Unless you want a replay of this little incident…"

Author's Note... (Because I like talkin' to you guys!)

_It's a short update, but I put a lot of time into it. I want to take my writing (at least what is published) seriously, and worth reading page for page. Trust me, I cut a lot of nonsensical drama from this, and it looks neater for the effort. MAKE THIS A LESSON, MY YOUNG PADAWANS..._

_Also, a few notes on how this story is going to go. I believe it's fair and helpful for readers to know what to expect from me, so that if this story does not turn out for your liking, you have an opportunity to stop reading BEFORE spending a year and a half following it. XD_

_1. I write when I can. This may mean short bursts of writing, but more meaningful content. _

_2. I have a life. As much as I love to write, certain priorities take precedence before fantasy. (I know, right?!)_

_3. For the person that said "YAY, NO ROMANCE!" - Thank you so much for voicing that opinion. :D Because April and Casey ARE technically developing a romantic relationship, I will be including some of that, but not in the fangirly way. Romance is NOT a major theme here, but if it becomes more noticeable in some chapters, I hope to make it mature. (Not X-rated mature, I mean **GROWN UP, INTELLIGENT, MEANINFUL and *RELEVANT TO THE STORY AND CANON*** type mature.) Because that's how I roll. :) To conclude, I will write the characters' relationships according to how they would most likely behave, not simply by what a fangirl would squeal for. _

_4. I do not consider my interpretations of the world of TMNT to be definitive or undisputable. In addition, my ultimate purpose for writing these stories (and this goes to most of my fan work) is to create a story arc which has the potential to fit into the original work, as seamlessly as possible. (Because that's how I roll). So, I invite SUGGESTIONS of any kind, with the understanding that these characters do not belong to me... that they were created for the PEOPLE - which in a way can be constituted as "fanservice" in the most formal sense of the word... I'm just being stupid now. But yes. I want to write a GREAT story, which means I don't necessarily have to limit my knowledge to a single brain with the hopes of developing a robust saga that will be enjoyable to myself AND to you, my dear readers. _

_That's all for now... Hope to hear from you guys again soon! Let's talk Turtles! _


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